In light of the government's recent gender identity proposals, I wanted to share with you the following report, published by the American College of Pediatricians.

Whilst we know that such interference with God's created order and design is clearly wrong biblically, it is surely an encouragement to see those in the medical community report that it is also wrong scientifically.

I am increasingly convinced that the area of marriage, sexuality and now gender identity is where real persecution will finally come to the church in the west. The fact that many church denominations and so-called evangelical clergy, such as Steve Chalke, have already capitulated on these issues will only make it harder still for those who hold to the eternal truths of scripture.

There is much that could be said about the disastrous ramifications of such developments on future generations, but for now I simply want to urge you to pray:

that our politicians would be given common sense, if not sanctified wisdom;

that Christians within politics, the media, education and the medical profession would know God’s protection and be given the grace to bear witness to His truth, irrespective of the cost;

that in the church, the trumpet would not “give an uncertain sound” in these confused and confusing times, but instead that the sword of the Spirit would be brought to bear to the destruction of such sinister strongholds.

May the gospel of Christ be preached with increasing clarity and power throughout our land. For surely it is this (and only this) - the power of God unto salvation - which can bring any lasting change in these ever-darkening days.

Gender Ideology Harms Children

​Updated May 2017 ​The American College of Pediatricians urges healthcare professionals, educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality.

1. Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of male and female, respectively – not genetic markers of a disorder. The norm for human design is to be conceived either male or female. Human sexuality is binary by design with the obvious purpose being the reproduction and flourishing of our species. This principle is self-evident. The exceedingly rare disorders of sex development (DSDs), including but not limited to testicular feminization and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, are all medically identifiable deviations from the sexual binary norm, and are rightly recognized as disorders of human design. Individuals with DSDs (also referred to as “intersex”) do not constitute a third sex. 1

2. No one is born with a gender. Everyone is born with a biological sex. Gender (an awareness and sense of oneself as male or female) is a sociological and psychological concept; not an objective biological one. No one is born with an awareness of themselves as male or female; this awareness develops over time and, like all developmental processes, may be derailed by a child’s subjective perceptions, relationships, and adverse experiences from infancy forward. People who identify as “feeling like the opposite sex” or “somewhere in between” do not comprise a third sex. They remain biological men or biological women. 2,3,4

3. A person’s belief that he or she is something they are not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking. When an otherwise healthy biological boy believes he is a girl, or an otherwise healthy biological girl believes she is a boy, an objective psychological problem exists that lies in the mind not the body, and it should be treated as such. These children suffer from gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria (GD), formerly listed as Gender Identity Disorder (GID), is a recognized mental disorder in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V).5 The psychodynamic and social learning theories of GD/GID have never been disproved. 2,4,5

4. Puberty is not a disease and puberty-blocking hormones can be dangerous. Reversible or not, puberty- blocking hormones induce a state of disease – the absence of puberty – and inhibit growth and fertility in a previously biologically healthy child. 6

5. According to the DSM-V, as many as 98% of gender confused boys and 88% of gender confused girls eventually accept their biological sex after naturally passing through puberty. 5

6. Pre-pubertal children diagnosed with gender dysphoria may be given puberty blockers as young as eleven, and will require cross-sex hormones in later adolescence to continue impersonating the opposite sex. These children will never be able to conceive any genetically related children even via articifial reproductive technology. In addition, cross-sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) are associated with dangerous health risks including but not limited to cardiac disease, high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. 7,8,9,10,11

7. Rates of suicide are nearly twenty times greater among adults who use cross-sex hormones and undergo sex reassignment surgery, even in Sweden which is among the most LGBTQ – affirming countries.12 What compassionate and reasonable person would condemn young children to this fate knowing that after puberty as many as 88% of girls and 98% of boys will eventually accept reality and achieve a state of mental and physical health?

8. Conditioning children into believing a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse. Endorsing gender discordance as normal via public education and legal policies will confuse children and parents, leading more children to present to “gender clinics” where they will be given puberty-blocking drugs. This, in turn, virtually ensures they will “choose” a lifetime of carcinogenic and otherwise toxic cross-sex hormones, and likely consider unnecessary surgical mutilation of their healthy body parts as young adults.

Michelle A. Cretella, M.D.President of the American College of PediatriciansQuentin Van Meter, M.D.Vice President of the American College of PediatriciansPediatric EndocrinologistPaul McHugh, M.D.University Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School and the former psychiatrist in chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital

Originally published March 2016Updated August 2016Updated January 2017

CLARIFICATIONS in response to FAQs regarding points 3 & 5:

Regarding Point 3:“Where does the APA or DSM-V indicate that Gender Dysphoria is a mental disorder?”The APA (American Psychiatric Association) is the author of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition(DSM-V). The APA states that those distressed and impaired by their GD meet the definition of a disorder. The College is unaware of any medical literature that documents a gender dysphoric child seeking puberty blocking hormones who is not significantly distressed by the thought of passing through the normal and healthful process of puberty.

From the DSM-V fact sheet:“The critical element of gender dysphoria is the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition.”“This condition causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.”

Regarding Point 5: “Where does the DSM-V list rates of resolution for Gender Dysphoria?”On page 455 of the DSM-V under “Gender Dysphoria without a disorder of sex development” it states: “Rates of persistence of gender dysphoria from childhood into adolescence or adulthood vary. In natal males, persistence has ranged from 2.2% to 30%. In natal females, persistence has ranged from 12% to 50%.” Simple math allows one to calculate that for natal boys: resolution occurs in as many as 100% – 2.2% = 97.8% (approx. 98% of gender-confused boys) Similarly, for natal girls: resolution occurs in as many as 100% – 12% = 88% gender-confused girls

The bottom line is this:Our opponents advocate a new scientifically baseless standard of care for children with a psychological condition (GD) that would otherwise resolve after puberty for the vast majority of patients concerned. Specifically, they advise: affirmation of children’s thoughts which are contrary to physical reality; the chemical castration of these children prior to puberty with GnRH agonists (puberty blockers which cause infertility, stunted growth, low bone density, and an unknown impact upon their brain development), and, finally, the permanent sterilization of these children prior to age 18 via cross-sex hormones. There is an obvious self-fulfilling nature to encouraging young GD children to impersonate the opposite sex and then institute pubertal suppression. If a boy who questions whether or not he is a boy (who is meant to grow into a man) is treated as a girl, then has his natural pubertal progression to manhood suppressed, have we not set in motion an inevitable outcome? All of his same sex peers develop into young men, his opposite sex friends develop into young women, but he remains a pre-pubertal boy. He will be left psychosocially isolated and alone. He will be left with the psychological impression that something is wrong. He will be less able to identify with his same sex peers and being male, and thus be more likely to self identify as “non-male” or female. Moreover, neuroscience reveals that the pre-frontal cortex of the brain which is responsible for judgment and risk assessment is not mature until the mid-twenties. Never has it been more scientifically clear that children and adolescents are incapable of making informed decisions regarding permanent, irreversible and life-altering medical interventions. For this reason, the College maintains it is abusive to promote this ideology, first and foremost for the well-being of the gender dysphoric children themselves, and secondly, for all of their non-gender-discordant peers, many of whom will subsequently question their own gender identity, and face violations of their right to bodily privacy and safety.

For more information, please visit this page on the College website concerning sexuality and gender issues.

The Elders at Knox Church Perth recently began a session meeting with the discussion of a very helpful article by Rev. Bill Schweitzer, from the book, “Jonathan Edwards for the Church: The ministry and means of Grace”. This was chosen on the basis of our shared commitment to a ministry which is truly grounded in, and driven by, the “ordinary means of grace” – those means which God has set down for the order, rhythm and blessing of His church: the preaching of God’s word, right administration of the sacraments and prayer.

Following that encouraging discussion, I was all poised to write an article entitled “Ordinary” in which I was hoping to say something about these reformed, biblical convictions and why they really matter. However, I quickly discovered that almost 10 years ago, Rev. Ligon Duncan had already done a far better job on this subject than I ever could (there really is nothing new under the sun!). I would therefore urge you to read Ligon’s excellent article below, used here with thanks to Ligonier Ministries.

Before that though, a brief word on why this is more important today than ever. The truth is we live in a day when pragmatism and the perceived need to “strategise” are increasing trends, even pressures, in the church. Before being called into ministry I worked in management consultancy for almost 10 years and so I know at least a little bit about strategy and I’ve certainly seen the importance of having such things tightly defined in a business environment. However, whilst there are often important lessons to learn from secular entrepreneurialism, there is also a vital distinction we would do well to keep in mind: whereas there is no golden, universally-applicable rule book which stipulates the mission and means of success in the business world, there is such a book which orders the life and blessing of the church.

When it comes to the body of Christ, both the mission and the means have been given - for every culture and generation - within God’s Inspired Word. These “means” may not always appear successful (see Jeremiah, Acts 21:30; John 16:2 and think about what became of the apostles themselves!) - in fact, they will typically appear foolish in the eyes of a fallen world (1 Cor 1:21) - yet it is nevertheless our duty and privilege to embrace not only God’s mission, but also His means. The church exists first to bring glory to the name of our Triune God (Exodus 20:3; Matt 22:37-38) and second to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19). The means God has chosen for this glorious task are the preaching of His word, sacrament and prayer (Romans 10:14; 1 Cor 2:1-4; Luke 22:19; James 5:14-16). The order - as Jonathan Edwards said - is important since it is from Scripture that “the others have their basis, but the reverse is not true.”

The Westminster Confession – our church’s subordinate standard – is particularly instructive: “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all his ordinances (that which He has instructed); especially the word, sacraments and prayer; all of which are made effectual to the elect for their salvation.” How is the Word made effectual to salvation? “The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of enlightening, convincing, and humbling sinners; of driving them out of themselves, and drawing them unto Christ; of conforming them to his image, and subduing them to his will; of strengthening them against temptations and corruptions; of building them up in grace, and establishing their hearts in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.”

With these glorious truths in mind, let us continue to live as a church which is not only unswervingly committed to God’s own mission, but one which recognises that in His world, He is always the best and only strategist we will ever need.

We are living in a confused and confusing time for confessional Christians (Christians who are anchored by a public and corporate theological commitment to be faithful to the Bible’s teaching on faith and practice as expounded by the great confessions of the Protestant Reformation). We are witnessing the final demise of theological liberalism, the rise of Pentecostalism, the beginnings of the so-called emerging church movement, the breakdown of evangelicalism, and an utter discombobulation about how the church is to conduct its life and ministry in an increasing “post-Christian” culture. All around us, in the name of reaching the culture with the Gospel, we see evangelical churches compromising (usually without intending to) in both message and methods.

It is not uncommon today to hear certain buzz-words and catch phrases that are meant to capture and articulate new (and presumably more culturally-attuned) approaches to ministry: “Purpose-driven,” “missional,” “contextualization,” “word and deed,” “ancient-future,” “emerging/emergent,” “peace and justice.” Now, to be sure, there are points, diagnoses, and emphases entailed in each of these terms and concepts that are helpful, true, and timely. Sadly, however, the philosophies of ministry often associated with this glossary are also often self-contrasted with the historic Christian view of how the church lives and ministers. That view is often called “the ordinary means of grace” view of ministry.The fundamental assumption underlying these new approaches is that “everything has changed,” and so our methods must change. I would want to dispute both parts of that equation. Whatever the entailments of our present cultural moment, constituent human nature has not changed (as R.C. Sproul often reminds us). And thus the fundamental human problem has not changed. Neither has the Gospel solution to it. Nor have the effectiveness of God’s Gospel means. Furthermore, one of the things that has always marked faithful and effective Christian ministry in every era and area of the world is a confidence in God’s Word, both in the Gospel message and in Gospel means. Faith still comes by hearing.

In sum, there are basically three views of Gospel ministry. There are those who think that effective cultural engagement requires an updating of the message. There are those who think that effective ministry requires an updating of our methods. And there are those who think that effective ministry begins with a pre-commitment to God’s message and methods, set forth in His Word. Thus, liberalism said that the Gospel won’t work unless the message is changed. Modern evangelicalism (and not just in its “seeker-sensitive” and postmodern permutations) has often said that the Gospel won’t work unless our methods are changed. But those committed to an “ordinary means” approach to church life and ministry say the Gospel works, and God has given us both the method and the message. This is vitally important in a time where one of the dominant story-lines in the churches has been that of methods unwittingly, unhelpfully, and unbiblically altering both the message and the ministry.Ordinary means of grace-based ministry is ministry that focuses on doing the things God, in the Bible, says are central to the spiritual health and growth of His people, and which aims to see the qualities and priorities of the church reflect biblical norms. Ordinary means ministry is thus radically committed to biblical direction of the priorities of ministry. Ordinary means ministry believes that God has told us the most important things, not only about the truth we are to tell, but about the way we are to live and minister — in any and every context. Hence, God has given us both the message of salvation and the means of gathering and building the church, in His Word. However, important understanding our context is, however important understanding the times may be (and these things are, in fact, very important), however important appreciating the cultural differences in the places and times we serve, the ordinary means approach to ministry is first and foremost concerned with biblical fidelity. Because faithfulness is relevance. The Gospel is the message and the local church is the plan. God has given to his church spiritual weapons for the bringing down of strongholds. These ordinary means of grace are the Word, sacraments, and prayer.

They may seem weak in the eyes of the worldly strong. They may seem foolish in the eyes of the worldly wise. But the Gospel message is the power of God unto salvation, and the Gospel means are effectual to salvation. These are the Spiritual instruments given by God with which Christian congregational Spiritual life is nurtured, the Spirit’s tools of grace and growth in grace appointed by God in the Bible.

So, when we say ordinary means of grace-based ministry, we mean a radical commitment to following the direction of God’s Word as to both the message and the means of gathering and perfecting the saints. Ordinary means ministry has a high view of the Bible, preaching, the church, the ordinances or sacraments, and prayer. Ordinary means ministry believes that the key things that the church can do in order to help people know God and grow in their knowledge of God are: First, emphasize the public reading and preaching of the Word; second, emphasize the confirming, sanctifying and assuring efficacy of the sacraments, publicly administered; and third, emphasize a life of prayer, especially expressed corporately in the church. These things are central and vital but sadly often under-emphasized, under-appreciated, and undermined.Ordinary means of grace-based ministry believes that God means what He says in the Bible about the central importance of these public, outward instruments for spiritual life and growth. God explicitly instructs ministers and churches to do the following things: “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13); “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2); “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19); “take, eat; this is my body. …which is for you…drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins; …do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (Matt. 26:26–28; 1 Cor. 11:25–26); “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made…. I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands” (1 Tim. 2:1, 8).​These are the main ways God’s people grow. We are saved by grace (alone), through faith (alone), in Christ (alone). But the instruments, the tools of God’s grace to bring us to faith and grow us in grace are the Word, prayer, and sacraments. Nothing else we do in the church’s program of ministry should detract from these central instruments of grace, and indeed everything else we do should promote and coalesce with them.This means, among other things, that ministry is not rocket science. Gospel faithfulness does not require the minister to be a sociologist. Because ministry is not determined (in the first place) by reading the culture but by reading the Word of God. The ordinary means minister wants to connect with the culture, but when it comes to determining method and priorities he moves from text to ministry, not from culture to ministry. He neither changes his message nor his methods based on the polling of the most recent focus group (though he strives to be fully cognizant of the obstacles and opportunities that his biblical message and methods face in his particular cultural context). He fully understands that there is no such thing as an unsituated biblical ministry, or an uncontextualized ministry (and so is careful not to universalize his particular cultural moment, nor to confuse it with universal, biblical norms). He also fully appreciates that some churches have unhelpfully baptized cultural norms and methods from the past, without realizing that baneful cultural influence. But he also knows that many churches, in the quest to contextualize the Gospel and the ministry, have in fact compromised them. So he’s constantly going back and asking “what are my marching orders?” And when he remembers, it doesn’t require a Ph.D. in semiotics to interpret them: preach the Word, love the people, pray down heaven, disciple the elders, promote family religion, live a godly life. And what are the church’s marching orders: delight in the Lord’s Day, gathering with the saints to drink in the pure milk of the Word every Sunday morning and evening, as families; pray together as a congregation once every week; worship and catechize at home in families; love one another and all men.What will a church look like that is committed to the ordinary means of grace? It will be characterized by love for expository Bible preaching, passion for worship, delight in truth, embrace of the Gospel, the Spirit’s work of conversion, a life of godliness; robust family religion; biblical evangelism, biblical discipleship, biblical church membership, mutual accountability in the church, biblical church leadership, and a desire to be a blessing to the nations. Along with this all, there will be an unapologetic, humble, and joyful celebration of the transcendent sovereignty of the one, true, triune God in salvation and all things.

Several years ago, I attended a lecture during which the speaker made the point that the extent to which the early chapters of Genesis (especially 1-3) were being undermined - both by society at large and even large sections of the church - was not only a demonic attack on the very foundations of the gospel, but ultimately one that would have catastrophic consequences for society in the present age. That was back in 2006.

As I survey the horizon in contemporary Scotland, particularly the current plans and proposals of the Scottish Government, I must say that I think we are much further down the road towards that catastrophe than even that speaker would have predicted. As well as the fact that all new guidance and promoted teachers will be made to undertake “training on equality”, a “key priority” for a future SNP Government is to “review and reform gender recognition law for all Trans (transgender) people to ensure it is line with international best practice”. In real terms, this means passing a law that would create a new third gender in addition to male and female, as well as allowing all people to legally change their gender (subject to parental consent, if under 16). Not only that, but the SNP’s highly controversial Named Person Scheme will effectively give the state the right to usurp the unique role of parents in the raising of their children.

At the very heart of the Christian faith is the truth that God created the heavens and the earth and established His order by making mankind, male and female, in His own image. The Scriptures plainly teach that God is the author of all life (and therefore the sole designator of each person’s sex) and that He ordained the institution of marriage between a man and woman as the pinnacle of all human relationships. Within that context, He has not only enabled the biological process of procreation but also given this married partnership a divinely ordained responsibility of raising their offspring according to His precepts.

In short, when it comes to a person’s sexual designation, the appropriate context for sexual relations, the meaning of marriage and the question of who has the final authority for the raising of children, God has not been silent. Our Creator has made clear that living as His image bearers in His world will mean accepting and celebrating our God-given gender (whether male or female), upholding the institution of marriage between a man and a woman and - in the case of parents – embracing that unique responsibility of training our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

It appears that the Scottish Government is in the process of doing everything in its power to destroy these essential foundations of a God-honouring society in ways that will have disastrous consequences for generations to come. We have already seen widespread celebration of the oxymoron that is same-sex marriage. But now, not content with this assault on the most important institution for the right ordering of society, our authoritarian “progressives” want to take us further into the darkness by effectively disregarding the God-given authority and responsibility of parents, as well as allowing - if not even encouraging - all people to choose which gender they wish to identify with. You almost have to pinch yourself each time you even think about it – so extreme is the departure, not just from biblical morality, but basic wisdom and common sense. Can a government really be this foolish and that Satanic?! The answer, tragically, is yes.

When you contrast and compare the proposals and policies of our current political parties you would have to say there is a good degree of truth to the statement, “they’re all as bad as each other” - at least from a Christian perspective. I for one have no burning desire to champion the cause of one party over the others within the church, nor to make out that one is worse than the others purely on the basis of some long held political bias. However, when you consider the massive potential there is for the Named Person Scheme to be used as a means of interfering with the role of parents who seek to raise their children according to Christian values, coupled together with our government’s plans regarding gender, you would have to conclude that true believers need to think long and hard as to whether such a political party – one which seems intent on destroying any lasting imprint of God’s design - can honestly be supported in good conscience before our Creator.

We read in Scripture that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14.34). That’s not to say that when God is revered and His order upheld, we will suddenly be rid of all problems. Of course not: this side of eternity we still live in a fallen and corrupted world. But it is to say, as history - both biblical and otherwise - underlines, that where God and His precepts are destroyed, so too is the health, stability and, dare I say it, prosperity of that nation. It is therefore imperative that we not only pray fervently for the repentance of all our political leaders in these days, but given the near certainty of the SNP’s retention of office, the church must brace herself for the inevitable out-workings of what is surely the most extreme attack against God’s good order by a Scottish Government in living memory.

With my love in Christ,

Paul

Update | April 30th, 2016

For clarity, and with particular reference to a headline in today's "Telegraph" newspaper, Rev Paul Gibson has never said that the SNP is "satanic" as a political party, nor has he explicitly stated that people should not to vote for the SNP.

He has however stated his belief that the SNP's plans to proceed with a so-called "third gender option" and the named person scheme are satanic - meaning that they are an attack on the order which God Himself has set down for society.

​In the light of this, Christian people do need to think long and hard as to whether they can vote for such a party in good conscience.

One of the very weighty responsibilities that falls to ministers is not just the privileged task of proclaiming the good news of redemption through Christ and Him crucified (Romans 10:14), but also the daunting duty of refuting such false teaching as would undermine and confuse that glorious truth (Jude 1:3).

As with every age of church history, even the briefest of reflections on the contemporary religious landscape reveals a range of such corruptions. However, it is arguably the case that no religious system has been more consistently damaging to the true gospel of Jesus Christ than the teachings of Roman Catholicism. The idolatry of the mass, the teaching of a works-based salvation and the elevation of Mary are well documented heresies, alongside many others besides, but one particular corruption which continues to undermine, confuse and in the end keep unsuspecting people from a genuine salvation is the “sacrament” of penance and the belief that the Pope and his priests can absolve a person of their sins.

Recently Pope Francis decreed that 2016 will be a “Holy Year of Mercy” during which priests will be allowed to “absolve women” of the “sin of a procured abortion”. Historically, only bishops and the Pope himself have been considered eligible to absolve this particular sin – considered one of the gravest within Roman Catholicism – but for 2016 priests will be able to apply to become ‘missionaries of mercy’, thus allowing them to absolve the sin of abortion and other sins that are considered “serious”.

As we reflect on this recent move by the Vatican, it is somewhat ironic to think that it was a Roman Catholic who once made the wise statement: “When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing, they believe in anything.”

But how do we respond?

First of all, the desire of the Pope to extend mercy towards women who have had abortions is commendable. Abortion, a form of murder, is surely a great burden to carry and the thought of being pardoned and relieved of that heavy weight will surely be welcomed by millions of Roman Catholic women throughout the world.

The problem of course, is that the Pope and every priest within the Roman Catholic Church is absolutely powerless to do that which only the Lord Jesus Christ Himself can do – namely forgive a person’s sin! Jesus said, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew11:28); the Apostle Paul writes, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…(1 Timothy 2:5). The apostle Peter proclaimed, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

But why is this so serious?

Firstly, millions of poor, burdened souls are being given empty hope – namely the promise of forgiveness (or “absolution”) by the “blessing” of fallen sinners (the papacy), when the reality is that the only One who can provide such a pardon is He who died as a ransom for many.

Secondly, by issuing this particular decree the Pope has again demonstrated that he not only believes himself to be the head of the church and her Pontifex Maximus (or Supreme Priest) – a position held by Jesus Christ alone (Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 4:14) – but in so doing he attempts, whether knowingly or unknowingly to rob our Saviour Christ of His rightful glory.

There are a reportedly 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world today - each one subscribing to a religion which offers false hope and attempts to place a fallen sinful man in the seat that is occupied by the sinless Christ alone. It is therefore incumbent on the true church of Jesus Christ, that if she is genuine in her concern for reaching the lost, then she must avoid the unclear sound that has been created by the ecumenical trumpet in recent years and instead contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

As we do so, and as we proclaim Christ and Him crucified, may all who are who are burdened with the guilt of abortion - and indeed all who have bowed the knee to the Baal of Rome – be granted the grace to repent and to trust in the only One who can say, “your sins are forgiven…go in peace.” (Luke 7:48-50)